Facility to serve commercial customers in Asia
Sept. 16/23 2013, Volume 27/number 11
Dalton—Shaw has opened a 210,000-square-foot carpet tile plant in Nantong, China, a port city 65 miles north of Shanghai. The facility offers customers in Asia quicker access to a wider range of completely recyclable, Cradle-to-Cradle-certified products, which are PVC and bitumen free. “Nantong’s woven textile heritage mirrors the communities in which we’ve manufactured flooring in the Southeastern U.S. for more than half a century,” said Jeff Galloway, Shaw’s vice president for Asia Pacific.
Expected to employ approximately 250 at full capacity, over 100 Shaw associates are onboard at this time. Shaw’s 24 x 24 and 18 x 36 products are being designed in Cartersville, Ga., for global markets. Products manufactured in China will be sold for installation in the growing Asia market, and there are no plans to export them back to the U.S.
“Two-thirds of the world’s carpet tile is sold outside of North America—the majority in Asia,” said Vance Bell, chairman and CEO. “Sales in China, in particular, have grown 20% annually, making it the world’s third largest carpet tile-purchasing country. Our new plant expands our opportunity to serve this growing market.”
The plant opening represents Shaw’s latest efforts to expand its Asian market presence, which includes showrooms or sales teams in Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangalore and New Delhi. The Nantong facility is pursuing ISO 9001 and 14000 certifications and was constructed to LEED gold standards for new construction (certification pending).